Starmer’s honeymoon period over as approval rating plummets

Sir Keir Starmer’s honeymoon period in Downing Street appears to be over after his approval rating plummeted by 16 points in a fortnight.

The Prime Minister saw his net approval score fall to 3 per cent in a survey published by Opinium, the polling company, on Saturday night.

A poll by the same firm two weeks earlier had Sir Keir’s net rating at 19 per cent, a sign initial public goodwill already appears to have been subsided.

There has been criticism of Sir Keir’s response to the far-Right riots that have swept Britain following the Southport stabbings, with top Tories urging him to recall Parliament.

Meanwhile Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, saw her net score fall to minus 12 per cent – ​​a decrease of 23 points in two weeks – after she drastically scaled back winter fuel payments.

Cuts unveiled by Ms Reeves in the Commons proved broadly popular with respondents, with 74 per cent believing an end to “non-essential” spending on consultants is the right decision.

Sixty-three per cent approved of the 3 per cent windfall tax on the profits of energy and gas companies, and 59 per cent supported the closure of ‘non-dom’ tax loopholes.

But 49 per cent said Ms Reeves was wrong to limit the winter fuel allowance to those already on means-tested benefits, with only 29 per cent saying they supported the policy.

James Crouch, the head of policy and public affairs at Opinium, said: “Keir Starmer’s post-election honeymoon period appears to be waning, with his approval ratings falling, although still remaining positive overall.

“Most of the policy announcements Rachel Reeves has spoken about this week to plug the hole in public finances have been viewed as the right decision, and there is public support to raise public sector pay.

“However, scrapping universal winter fuel payments has not been a popular decision, and appears to have contributed to the Chancellor’s plummet in approval ratings.”

‘A voice of condemnation’

Courts will sit for 24 hours to fast-track sentences under Sir Keir’s plans to control the far-Right unrest that has followed the killing of three girls in Southport on July 29.

Violent confrontations took place on Saturday in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Hull, Stoke and Belfast in which police officers were attacked with bricks, bottles and flares.

Dame Priti Patel, one of six Conservative leadership hopefuls, on Saturday urged Sir Keir to recall Parliament “immediately” after the Commons rose last week for its summer recess.

“Now is a moment for reflection and solidarity, to pull back from the wave of violence we have seen, to call it out for what it is – without fear or favor – and for Parliament to speak with one voice in condemnation,” she said .

“We either believe in the rule of law, or we do not. That is why Parliament must be recalled immediately.”

On Saturday night, Tom Tugendhat, another Tory leadership candidate and the shadow security minister, questioned why Sir Keir had not agreed to a Cobra meeting.

Mr Tugendhat said: “Still no plan from the Government on ending the violence on our streets.

“Extremism and lawlessness cannot be tolerated. This has to stop. What is taking Labor so long?”